Get a map of Gallatin

A Debate We Can Never Resolve

by Lee H. Hamilton

A few weeks ago, in his second inaugural speech, President Obama waded into the longest-running argument our history offers. “Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time,” he said, “but it does require us to act in our time.”

He had just laid out a rationale for government action on infrastructure, protecting the security and dignity of